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Madden 13 Strategy Guide
The Rookies Before we begin, it's important to analyze the strengths of the rookies in this year's installment of Madden. Perhaps the debate getting the most attention is between the the two new rookie quarterbacks, Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts and Robert Griffin III of the Washington Redskins. How do they compare, standing side by side? 'Quarterbacks' Andrew Luck is the highest rated rookie to enter the Madden games since Reggie Bush. Luck has an 84 overall rating. His accuracy is higher than Griffins on everything but the longball. Robert Griffin III, of the Washington Redskins, has become one of the more athletic quarterbacks in the game, with a speed of 93 and throw power at 95. Both quarterbacks are strong and will play their positions immensely well. In summary, each quarterback could excel by sticking to their strengths. Luck: ''' *Most all around accurate quarterback in the draft. *Among the highest throw power *Makes good reads '''Griffin III: *Will be the fastest quarterback in the draft *Has very high deep throw accuracy *Is very explosive on the draw 'Impact Players:' Trent Richardson, of the Cleveland Browns, is the highest rated rookie at his position. His overall rating is 83, with his bright spots being acceleration at 96 and a trucking rating of 95. Other powerful rookies surely to make an impact include Justin Blackmon of the Jacksonville, Mark Barron of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Luke Kuechly of the Carolina Panthers, Offense: The key to running a successful offense in Madden '13 is being both verstile but also playing to your strengths. Find the team that has a play style you enjoy, players you know you can rely on, and a playbook that gives you plenty of options. Below are a list of offensive tips, focusing on reactions to defensive formations, as well as choosing exactly what style of play you wish to approach. 1. Each offensive team in Madden ’13 has their own playbook. Each playbook can be centered around a particular play style (depending on the team). But what’s important to remember is that in all game modes, it is possible to change the playbook to a different team. So, experimenting with different playbooks against opponents can give you an edge. It is also possible to create your own playbook, creating a hybrid with formations and plays of your own choose. Utilizing playbooks changes may result in some disadvantages, but can become immensely constructive long term (especially in a Connect Career) 2. '''Along with ‘hot routing’ your receivers before plays, left-analog stick passing controls have been improved so throws can be placed at specific spots near a receiver, including out towards the sideline, along the back shoulder, or up high or down low. '''3. '''Pump fakes are now directed towards specific receivers, instead of just a general fake. Choosing the right receiver to pump fake too (especially against a zone defense) can lead to open receivers down field. '''4. '''Receivers have ‘windows’ during their routes when passes are most likely to be completed. When a receiver is ready to catch the ball, the corresponding button to them will be colored and clearly displayed. If the button is grayed out, or if the play is thrown too soon after the snap, the receiver will not catch it. Receivers can look for the ball earlier if their defenders blitz or if enough space is created in open space. '''5. Having trouble against man defenses? Man-to-man coverage can leave little available space for your receivers to make plays. To counter man coverage, look into running Mesh plays (The Tight End Bunch formation is a good one), drag routes and well timed curl routes can also leave man defenders in the dust. 6. 'Running plays have become much more fine-tuned, and you’ll find it’s not as easy to miss a hole on a run play and manage to score some positive yardage. The key to utilizing your halfbacks is to tailor your game play around your back. If you have a big back, it’s a good idea to learn forward with every run. Find the hole, hit it with precision, and then speed burst when room is created. '''7. ' Want to experiment with some running plays? Good formations for running are the Strong Close, Singleback Bunch, or I-Form Pro Twins. Strong Close and I-Form Tight allow for runs in various directions, whether it’s the left, right, or middle all in the same look. '''8. Looking to pick up some important, short yardage without taking any risks? Utilize the TE Short Curl, along with the FB Dive out of I-Form. 9. When it comes to play selection, it’s a good idea to figure out how specific plays run against specific defenses. In practice mode, try out your favorite offensive plays against a custom-set specific defense so you can take notes on how each play works against a different defense. When trying out plays, run them against Man Coverage, Cover 1, Cover 2, Cover 3, Cover 4, and then Man and Zone blitzes. 10. The Full House formation is a great Power Back run formation that can net a lot of strong gains with proper play selection. The HB Slam works well if you cut the play back. The RG/RT hole is the play’s proper destination, but cutting it back to the C/RG hole usually nets in big gains. The Angle Swing is also very strong against zone defenses. Also consider Power O, HB Sweep, and Weak Counters. 11. The West Coast playing style can provide benefits. Where traditional offenses like to open up vertical lanes downfield, West Coast offenses tend to focus on short, horizontal passing attacks. For strong West Coast oriented playbooks, stick to the Packers, Eagles, and 49ers. 12. '''There are new hot routes for players in the backfield. Right stick down is block and release. Right stick left or right is a flat route. One strategy is to hot route your fullback and running back in the same way and create your own lead blocker. Try this out of the Full House formation. '''13. An interesting formation/play is the Singleback Bunch Formation, the play is called PA Draw Pass. The Tight End in this play runs what’s known as a delayed trail route, which can be very deadly. Good hot routes to add to this play are to block your halfback and your Square/X Receiver on a Fade. With a good post-snap read of the defense, you can find plenty of places to get the ball. 14. '''The Gun Bunch TE formation has a very strong play called Mesh. Hotroute your tight end to a slant, and your Triangle/Y receiver to a streak. Your tight open will be open against most coverage’s, and against zones look to your Triangle/Y receiver. '''15. The Singleback Snugs Flip formation has a play called the HB Slam. Take your slot receiver on the left side and motion him to the left. Once he’s behind the right guard, call the snap and follow your blockers. You can choose to keep the ball to the inside, or bounce it outside. This play can keep defenders guessing, and it’s good to use this play with a team with a fast halfback, and a decent offensive line. Defense: 1. '''Depending on your preference, it’s a good idea to think about which defender on the field you wish to manually control most of the time. Defensive line positions tend to get '''1. '''Utilize Overload Blitzes. An is a blitz with an overall goal of overloading a gap with more rushers than there are blockers. By weighting pressure heavily on one side of the line of scrimmage, it can create free rushes to the quarterback by the defense. '''2. '''Preventing big gains against 4-5 Wide Receiver sets can be difficult. Best defenses to this offensive strategy include blitzing and combo coverage. One tactic is to go to Dime Cover 1, shift the line to the right and blitz the middle linebacker. The Dime Flat formation is also a solid approach. ' ' ' '''3. '''A strong run stopping play is the 4-3 Stack: OLB Fire Man. Shift the line to the strong side and crash them out. If you assume control of the weak side linebacker and leave him in the blitz. '''4.' A simple, yet effective defensive play is the 46 Normal Formation, Cover 3 play. Set up your MLB and LOLB to blitz. Hot route your LE to a yellow hook zone and hot route any other defenders to the zone of your choice. This play becomes less successful if your opponents leaves a TE or RB to block. 5. If you’re looking for a playbook with a lot of defensive formation variety, check out the Multiple D playbook. 6. If your opponent is using curl routes to their advantage and you’re having trouble manually covering it, try to fill out your defense with a 2 Man Under with a defensive back set to watch the Purple zone underneath. Also try the Cover 2 Sink. The yellow defensive zones sit underneath the curl, and shading coverage to the outside can also prevent the deep ball. 7. If you’re struggling against runs off tackle or dive plays out of the Strong or I formations, try to blitz your cornerbacks. Using a 3-4 Cover 2 and the Linebackers and Defensive Line out. This can also work well with toss or pitches to the outside. 8. Want to catch your own interception on defense but having trouble doing so? Don’t overthink it! Just hold Triangle/Y as the ball gets close. Don’t strafe. Quick switching to the nearest defender near the ball and holding Y is all you need to do. 9. A deadly offensive pass is the inside shoulder throws on streaks. Shading the inside of the receiver that you suspect will catch the pass can help against that. Another tactic is to come out in a 2 Man Under, shade the wideouts, and then move zones into the middle of the field. Manual-defend your best guess on the receiver. 10. The Cover 2 Zone defense is a very strong, balanced zone that keeps the pressure on receivers but is also decent at stopping the run. If you’re playing a team that doesn’t have a strong, dominant secondary then fall back to the Cove 2. The 3-4 formation in the cover two provides protection against 2 flat zones, 2 curl zones, 2 hook zones, AD two deep zones. 11. Remember to use your L2 Commit Option for the pass when you’re certain it’s coming. It prepares your lineman for the pass rush and gives your corners an additional step or two. ' ' 12. Stopping Goal Line Offensive rushes can be difficult, but utilizing the 46 Speed Inside Blitz along with spreading the line can help. Bring your RILB directly over the center’s helmet and re-blitz straight down. Manually control the LILB and place him between the C/RG and re-blitz him straight down. This can plug up the center, along with have protection to the outside pass/toss. 13. If you like the 3-4 Defensive scheme, stick with the Washington Redskins playbook. If you’re a fan of the 4-3, stick with the New York Giants. The San Francisco 49ers’ playbook has an interesting defensive formation in the 1-4-6. 14. If you’re looking for a defensive formation that is strong against a base offensive set, or possibly a three wide set, try the 4-3 Odd Blitz, Cover 1. Re-blitz the Linebacker behind the RDE. Manually control the safety that’s back playing zone. 15. If you’re looking for a solid 5-2 blitz formation, try the 5-2 Pinch. Blitz your ILB on the left side straight down. Take your right ILB and line him up directly between the Noseguard/Tackle on the left side of the screen. Give them a bit of space before the ball is hiked, and then blitz him through the gap. Connected Career Connected Career is a new mode to Madden '13 and is a combination of Franchise and Superstar mode. This is the mode to live out the NFL dream in a fully interactive, social, and connected online experience. In this mode, you can play as either a player or a coach, and can build your own character from scratch or take an existing player or coach right to the top. Connected Career can be played online for offline. However, only one local player can be involved in Connected Career at one time. 1. When playing as a player, there are various positions along with play style types. Be sure to research exactly which kind of player you wish to be. Whether it's a Power back or a Speedy Back, a veristle Quarterback who can scramble, or one that focuses on arm strength. 2. Goal severity changes depending on the backstory which you choose for your character. For example, if you choose a High Draft player, expectations for your play will be higher and Weekly and Season goals will be tougher to meet. By selecting a Low Draft player, much less will be asked from you. 3. It's good to keep in mind that not meeting expected goals can lead to being cut from the team, or if you're a coach, fired from your position. 4. '''Social Media has been pulled into Connected Career. When you're not at home, you can long into Facebook or Twitter to check your roster, make trades, manage your team and check news. Feel free to take advantage of these features whenever your are not in front of your console. '''5. It's possible to play in the same league but change your character. If you start a player or a coach and things aren't going well, you can start a new character, or a new coach, or even move to another team. Connected Careers allow players to have the flexibility to modify their characters without putting a halt on the whole league. 6. '''Use XP to purchase upgrades. For players, these upgrades are usually stat-defined only. Whether it's increasing toughness, agility, etc. For coaches, XP upgrades allow for better out-of-game bonuses, such as making free agency easier, allowing players to learn more XP, or decreasing the chances of any players retiring early. Mutliplayer Muliplayer can be enjoyed offline with exhibition mode or online through connected careers. Unfortunately, only one local player can engage in an online Connected Career at one time. When setting up an online league for Connected Careers, here are a few things to consider. '''1. '''You can change from player to coach as much as you want in the same league. Create-A-Characters retire permentantly from the league, but all normal players will return to play if you decide to stop playing as them in Connected Careers, they will rejoin the league on their default team. '''2. '''Legacy Points are the primary goal of Connected Careers, and they can be raised by winning games and meeting goals. '''3. '''Exceeding requirements of goals does NOT give you more XP. So, rely on completeing a multitude of goals as opposed to overwhelming a single one (such as passing or rushing yards). '''4. Comissioners of leagues can go into the user screen and set their player/coach/team to autopilot. Autopilot is a good setting to turn on if one or more players in your league need to take an extended absence. All autopiloted teams become CPU controlled until the setting is turned off, allowing for players to continue league play while others are away. 5. There is a one-human per team limit in Online Connected Careers. This includes both human players or coaches on the same team.